Mazda Raceway, Leguna Seca-Zoom Zoom!

We hit up the MotoGP races on Saturday at the sunny Laguna Seca raceway. Can't say I'm a big race fan but we had a terrific day! This was the RedBull Classic and it ran Friday through Sunday. We had a day of qualifiers, races, and stunts, not to mention the hundreds of booths to surf through. The pictures of the racers are on turn 2 of the track- a hairpin turn- the sights and sounds were all so exciting!

Look At All That Smoke!

I think you can see the front of the card," A long, long, long time ago..." Well, his eyes are buggin' because he opens the card and it says," you were born!" The kids just loved it because it plays the Star Wars theme song. I get a kick out of it because it's only the beginning of many years of old jokes and ornery cards. But to my husband-Happy 33 Babe! You're handsome as ever, especially when the smoke clears, and we love you so very much. Happy Birthday!

The House that Sarah Winchester Built

Saturday we found ourselves in SUNNY and WARM San Jose to visit the Winchester House. It is a tragic story that led Sarah Winchester to the brink of madness. Her belief in a family curse and haunting spirits were behind her purchase of an unfinished house in San Jose in 1884. From the time she acquired the house until the day of her death there was round the clock construction on her home. Thirty-eight years of endless building! What do you build when the only requirement is that building must never stop?- Staircases to ceilings, doors that open to walls, windows in the floors and chimneys that never reach the roof!

We Hold These Truths to be Self Evident....

Our celebration of Independence Day did not conclude with fireworks but it was a fun, family day nonetheless! We visited the Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton and the neighboring Henry Cowell State Park. A steam engine took us by train car up the mountain, winding through Redwoods and stopping along the way so we could be robbed! After wandering the camp a bit, visiting the general store and such we walked through Henry Cowell and saw some amazing trees! The picture of the boys and me is a bit of an illusion- the trees were massive, yes, but the trunk is actually that of three trees growing together. I can't do this forest any justice in describing it. You could look straight up in the sky and still not see the tops of these giants. Some of the trunks were so knotted and bulging with burls that they looked fake- like something out of the movies! We walked up inside the Freemont Tree- you can actually find video of this tree on youtube (ofcourse), and listened briefly to a quartet playing along the path. I think Kevin and I will plan a family visit to Sequoia National Park so we can see more of these red beauties. By early evening we returned home but did not have fireworks to look forward to. Monterey canceled them as a result of budget cuts :( and the nearest show would have been an hour drive away! But hey, it doesn't take an aerial display of explosions to make me grateful for my freedom, this country and all those who love her....Happy Fourth!

Point Lobos State Reserve

One little blog post just isn't enough to share the many wonders of this place. The beaches, coves, forests and animals are plentiful and unique, every time you think you've seen the most amazing place on earth, you round the bend and see another! There are deadly, churning waters in Devil's Cauldron but sea lions dot the rocks and cove all around. There is an underwater reserve at Whaler's Cove for experienced divers and for those of us staying on land, a cabin built in the 1850's by Chinese fishermen (we didn't get to see it this time). With all the animals we saw- it was far better than any zoo we could have visited. We saw green and purple urchins, crabs, sea lions, seals and otters-one playing with an abalone shell. Squirrels, and rabbits hopped around, a deer rested in the flowers (did you see the furry antlers in the first picture?) and sea gulls flew overhead. At Bird Island flocks of cormorants nested and a few pelicans could be spotted. We took a steep staircase down to Hidden Beach where we rolled up our pants and explored a tiny cave. Then the boys drug huge beach logs and ropes of kelp onto shore. All this and we only saw about half of the park! We'll be visiting again for sure.

It's Rainin' Teeth!

Ethan is a pro at losing teeth - he's been losing them since he was four! So, he's got another loose tooth and Isaac found himself a little jealous. He even stated that he wished he had a loose tooth like Ethan. Next day, and I mean the very next day, the boys were eating breakfast when I hear shouts for me to hurry to the table. Isaac had a loose tooth! It was, in fact, very loose and the adult tooth was already coming in behind it. Ethan and I were both very excited for him- his first loose tooth!!- and we thought he'd be pretty stoked about it too. Problem is, Isaac didn't realize it came with a mild amount of pain, some bleeding and could be a bit of a nuisance when trying to eat. So I'm staring at him with a grin worthy of The Joker and I see tears in his eyes! It was not all that he had hoped for :( Luckily, this afternoon it fell out all on it's own and he is quite proud of himself. I think he'll be ready next time around.

Celebrating the Fathers Out There

Happy Father's Day! (I am aware it was yesterday) There are some special fathers out there and I hope you're feeling the love we have for you. Kevin, Bob, Steve, Doug, Stuart, Neil, Keith, Tim, Mark, Floyd, Brandon, Golden, Jesse, Mike, Bryan, Jason, Keith, Brian, Ian, Erik, Stan, Poppy, Jim, Fish, Jeff, Carl, Tyler- these are some guys I personally want to send love and all my best to. If I left out your name- drop me some hate mail and I'll get you added pronto! But really- there are many more out there- hope your Father's Day was great, thanks guys for all you do.